AT&T Finds Unlikely Source Of Support

While most of the usual stakeholders have weighed in on whether federal regulators should back AT&T's bid to buy rival T-Mobile USA, one unlikely player to give its two cents is the Sierra Club.

The group sent a letter to Members of Congress "to express optimism about the potential expansion of broadband that the proposed merger of AT&T and T-Mobile provides," though it did not explicitly say if it supports approval of the deal. "Expansion of broadband technologies to rural America brings a vital 21st century infrastructure to all our communities and will conserve energy by eliminating carbon emissions related to travel and promote other efficiencies through smart grids and smart meters accessed through broadband," Sierra Club Executive Director Michael Brune wrote. "As regulators examine this transaction, they should consider these values in their deliberations."